lovers, they probably preferred walking apart, to the
inconvenience of being jostled by the multitude. As they sauntered on
slowly after the rest, Mike felt himself touched on the shoulder, and on
turning round, found Darby More beside him.

"It's painful to my feelin's," observed the mendicant, "to have to
say this blessed night that your father's son should act so shabby an'
ondacent."

"Saints above! how, Darby?"

"Why, don't you know that only for me--for what I heard, an' what I
tould you--you'd not have the purty girl here at your elbow? Wasn't it,
as I said, his intintion to come and whip down the colleen to Kilnaheery
while the family 'ud be at mass; sure only for this, I say, you
bosthoon, an' that I made you bring her to mass, where 'ud the purty
colleen be? why half way to Kilnaheery, an' the girl disgraced for
ever!"

"Thrue for you, Darby, I grant it: but what do you want me to do?"

"Oh, for that matther, nothin' at all, Mike; only I suppose that when
your tailor made the clothes an you, he put no pockets to them?"

"Oh, I see where you are, Darby! well, here's a crown for you; an' when
Peggy an' I's made man and wife, you'll get another."

"Mike, achora, I see you are your father's son still; now listen to me:
first you needn't fear sudden death while you keep that blessed Carol
about you; next get your friends together goin' home, for Frank might
jist take the liberty, wid about a score of his 'boys,' to lift her
from you even thin. Do the thing, I say--don't thrust him; an' moreover,
watch in her father's house tonight wid your friends. Thirdly, make it
up wid Frank; there's an oath upon you both, you persave? Make it up
wid him, if he axes you: don't have a broken oath upon you; for if you
refuse, he'll put you out o' connection, (* That is, out of connection
with Ribbonism) an' that 'ud plase him to the back-bone."

Mike felt the truth and shrewdness of this advice, and determined to
follow it. Both young men had been members of an illegal society, and
in yielding to their passions so far as to assault each other, had been
guilty of perjury. The following Christmas-day had been appointed by
their parish Delegates to take the quarrel into consideration; and the
best means of escaping censure was certainly to express regret for what
had occurred, and to terminate the hostility by an amicable adjustment
of their disputes.

They had now reached the chapel-green, where the scene that presented
i